Tennis serve toss aid

ABSTRACT

A tennis serve toss aid comprising: 1) a ring member to be placed on a finger of the non-racket holding hand of a tennis player, 2) a bowl member that holds the tennis ball, and 3) a connector member that allows the bowl member to be attached to the ring member in a variety of orientations, The tennis serve toss training aid trains the tennis player to control the tennis ball without use of the fingers to release the ball, supinate the palm, lock the wrist and elbow, and use the tossing arm as a simple lever which moves from a down position to an up position. As the arm moves to an up position the ball is released from the bowl member due to inertia. This allows the tennis player to be able to repeatedly toss the tennis ball to substantially the same position in the air where it can be struck consistently with the tennis racket to deliver the serve.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon provisional patent application 62/739,279, filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Sep. 30, 2018, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an aid for improving a tennis player's serve by training her or him to consistently toss the tennis ball without the use of fingers to release the ball.

B. Prior Art

The tennis serve is a critical component of the game of tennis as players are required to serve the tennis ball many times during a match. A bad serve can result in a fault, and a second bad serve will result in the loss of a point in that tennis game. Ultimately, a bad serve can severely impact the result of the game, set and overall match. A primary challenge with the serve is tossing the tennis ball consistently into the ideal position in the air so it can be hit accurately and powerfully by the tennis racket.

A primary challenge with the toss itself is the release of the tennis ball at exactly the right time in the tossing motion. This is primarily an issue because the player is using their non-dominant hand to toss the tennis ball and there is a lack of fine motor skills, which affects the timing of the release of the ball by the fingers compared to the dominant hand. The player has just milliseconds within which to release the ball; as most players hold the ball in some combination of their fingers, thumb and palm, the slightest mistiming will most often result in a misplaced ball.

A study by the University of Ontario showed the non-dominant hand to be 2.42 times less accurate than the dominant hand when throwing a tennis ball; and found it is due to a lack of control of the fingers that are releasing the ball. Prior to the present tennis serve toss aid, no device has been available that trains the player to entirely eliminate the use of the fingers to release the ball while ergonomically maintaining the ball in the palm of the player's hand and allowing inertia to consistently release the ball at exactly the same time for a consistent toss at the end of the tossing motion.

The devices described and claimed herein can be utilized as both a training aid and playing aid for tennis players to assist them in mastering the tennis serve and, specifically, the tennis serve toss. Using the present device, a tennis player will be able to toss the tennis ball to the ideal place in the air so it can be hit accurately and powerfully by the racket held in the player's other hand.

The tennis serve toss aid trains the tennis player to eliminate the use of the fingers and thumb to release and toss the ball while using the present device, and maintains the ball in the tennis player's cradled hand during the tennis serve toss. Accordingly, the present device teaches the player to eliminate the use of the fingers and thumb for holding and releasing the ball during the toss, and instead control the positioning and movement of the palm, wrist, and arm, as needed, to toss the ball to the ideal position in the air.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This tennis serve toss aid device is provided to assist the player with controlling the ball without the use of fingers or the thumb to release the ball, supinate the palm, lock the wrist and elbow, and use the arm as a simple lever to be able to repeatedly toss the tennis ball to the same position in the air. Once the player's serve toss becomes consistent, the player is better able to consistently strike the ball with the racket, which is held in the other, dominant, hand. The ball is released from the tennis serve toss aid at the top of the lever, or arm, motion due to inertia.

The tennis serve toss aid is presently described in several embodiments. The first embodiment is comprised of a 1) a ring member that is slipped onto a finger or thumb, 2) a bowl member that holds the tennis ball, and 3) a connector member that attaches the bowl member to the ring member in a variety of orientations. The second embodiment is comprised of an integral ring remember and bowl member. The third embodiment is comprised of a ring member and wire mesh bowl member. The fourth embodiment is comprised of a ring member and a bowl member that provides a plurality of prongs. The fifth embodiment is comprised of a ring member and a disk member. The sixth embodiment is comprised of a glove, which provides a plurality of loops on the index finger portion of the glove, a hook on the thumb portion of the glove, and an adhesive material between each of the fingers of the glove. The seventh embodiment provides a plurality of thimbles which are each glued together.

Each of the seven embodiments of the tennis serve toss aid is designed to be used by players of all ages and all abilities. It dramatically simplifies the tossing motion by eliminating all movement other than the rotation of the arm around the shoulder. It can be manufactured in volume and sold at a relatively low price when compared to the money tennis players spend on lessons and clinics to solve the same problem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an isometric exploded view of the first embodiment of the tennis serve toss aid showing how they align and connect, how the assembly is placed on a finger, and how the tennis ball is placed on the bowl member. The straight dashed arrows show how the various members are attached. The dashed curved arrows show how the orientation of the members can be changed relative to each other.

FIG. 2 is an in-use view illustrating the tossing motion of the straight arm and locked elbow, where the palm of the tossing hand is supinated and in a horizontal plane or similar at the point where the tennis ball is released from the hand due to inertia. The straight dashed arrows show the direction of the movement of the arm from down to up and, subsequently, the movement of the tennis ball into the air.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bowl member of the first embodiment showing a tennis ball placed within the bowl member and a loop patch provided on the bottom of the bowl member.

FIG. 4 is a bottom isometric view of the second embodiment showing the ring member is integrally attached to the bowl member.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the third embodiment showing wire and mesh bowl member with a loop patch provided on the bottom of the bowl member.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the fourth embodiment showing a bowl member that provides a plurality of prongs.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the plurality of a disc member.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of a glove that provides a plurality of loops attached to the index finger and a hook attached to the thumb. The glove also provides an adhesive material between all of the fingers to prevent separation during use and to form the hand into a cradled shape.

FIG. 9 is an in-use isometric view of a plurality of thimbles which are attached to one another and placed on four fingers and a thumb thereby causing the hand to form into a cradled position.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing a method of use for using the tennis serve toss aid that provides a bowl member and ring member.

NUMBERING REFERENCE    1—Tennis ball  5—First Embodiment 10—Ring 11—First attachment material 12—Connector member 15—Bowl member 17—Plurality of cutouts 19—Second attachment material 20—Second Embodiment 30—Third Embodiment 32—Mesh 35—Wire frame 40—Fourth embodiment 45—Plurality of prongs 50—Fifth Embodiment 55—Disk member 60—Sixth Embodiment 62—Glove 64—Plurality of loops 66—Hook 68—Adhesive between plurality of fingers of glove 70—Seventh Embodiment 75—Plurality of thimbles

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

This device is a tennis serve toss aid that assists tennis players with improving the toss of a tennis ball 1 from a player's non-dominant hand during a serve. This device is described in seven embodiments below, with each embodiment providing a tennis serve toss aid that requires the user to supinate the palm, cradle the tennis ball without the use of his or her fingers to hold the ball, and toss the tennis ball into the air without the use of his or her fingers to release the ball.

First Embodiment

This first embodiment 5 is comprised of a ring member 10 and a bowl member 15. It is anticipated that the first embodiment 5 may be further comprised of a connector member 12. The ring member 10 may be slipped onto any finger or thumb on the tossing hand of the tennis player and may include a patch of attachment material 11. The connector member 12, attaches the ring member 10 to the bowl member 15.

The ring member 10 is adjustable in size to accommodate the finger size of multiple ages of tennis players, from children to seniors. In its preferred embodiment, the ring member 10 is made from hook-and-loop material but could also be made from a rubber, silicone or plastic material or similar semi-rigid material. The ring member 10 of the first embodiment 5 provides a patch of first attachment material 11 on the ring member's 10 external circumference as shown in FIG. 1.

The bowl member 15 is made from a semi-rigid material such as, but not limited to, plastic, rubber or silicone. Variations of size can exist to accommodate red, orange, green and yellow tennis balls. The bowl member 15 has a patch of second attachment material 19 provided on the spherical bottom surface of the bowl member 15 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3. It is anticipated that the first attachment material 11 and second attachment material 19 would be comprised of “loop” material.

The connector member 12 is made from double-sided ‘hook’ material to attach to the ‘loop’ patch 11 on the ring member 10 and the ‘loop’ patch 19 on the bowl member 15 in a variety of orientations.

The tennis player attaches the ring member 10 and connector member 12 to each other such that the connector member 12 is facing upwards when the ring member 10 is on a finger or thumb and the palm of the hand is supinated and held in a substantially horizontal plane.

The tennis player then positions the bowl member 15 on the ring member 10 and connector member 12 assembly in a position and orientation that allows the axis of the bowl member 15 to substantially be perpendicular to the palm of the hand 2 when the palm is supinated and in a substantially horizontal plane.

Once positioned, the tennis serve toss aid can be easily removed from the hand by sliding the ring member 1 and the entire assembly off the finger or thumb. When needed, the tennis serve toss aid can be simply placed on the same finger in the same position and orientation previously configured.

In use, the tennis player positions the tennis serve toss aid assembly on a finger and in the palm of the hand and holds said palm in a supinated and horizontal plane without using their fingers to grip the bowl member 15 in any way. The tennis player then places a tennis ball 1 into the bowl member 15.

Provided within the bowl member 15, is a plurality of cutouts 17 as shown in FIG. 1. The plurality of cutouts 17 allow for the ball 1 to be controlled within the bowl member 15 during the toss, while also preventing the bowl member 15 from affecting the directional trajectory of the ball 1 during a tennis serve toss. The cutouts also help minimize friction with the nap or fuzz on the tennis ball, thereby eliminating any impact on the timing of the release of the ball, due to inertia, at the end of the tossing motion. Accordingly, the bowl member 15 provides the degree of control necessary to mimic the cradled shape of a player's hand. The cutouts additionally provide a better ergonomic shape for the player's tossing hand, which allows for more natural play after the serve is made.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the tennis player then ‘locks’ their elbow by straightening the arm and supinating the palm to an extreme but comfortable position. The final preparation step is to ensure the wrist is adjusted to ensure the palm is in a horizontal plane at the top of the tossing motion.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the tennis toss motion is now extremely simplified and uses the arm as a simple lever. There is no required independent movement of the elbow or wrist or fingers during the tossing motion from down to up. The lever, or arm, simply rotates around the shoulder. The tennis ball 1 is simply released, or tossed, at the end of the up motion of the lever, or arm, due to inertia.

As nothing is moving during the toss, except the arm from a down position to an up position, the tennis player is able to consistently repeat the tossing motion and thereby release the tennis ball 1 to substantially the same position in the air for every toss.

Over time, as the tennis player gets more and more comfortable with this new tossing motion, and controlling the ball without using her or his fingers to release the ball, the player may remove the bowl member 15, and simply use the ring member 10 and connector member 12 assembly by attaching the connector member's 12 patch of ‘hook’ material to the nap or fuzz on the exterior of the tennis ball. The player would control the tennis ball in the previously learned shape of the hand, such that the tennis ball 1 is controlled without the use of the player's fingers to release the ball. The removal of the bowl member 15 changes no aspect of the tossing motion.

Eventually, as the tennis player gets even more comfortable with this new tossing motion and controlling the ball 1 without the use of fingers to release the ball, the player may entirely eliminate the use of the tennis serve toss aid, and simply mold the palm of their tossing hand to cradle the ball. Accordingly, the player will still allow inertia to force the tennis ball 1 from the hand at the end of the tossing motion. The removal of the entire tennis serve toss aid changes no aspect of the player's tossing motion.

It is anticipated that the player may tilt the palm forward, backward or sideways to allow the ball to be tossed forward, backward or sideways without changing the motion or straightness or supination of the tossing arm. Consequently, this will allow the tennis player to serve a ‘flat serve’ or ‘slice serve’ or ‘kick serve’.

As a practice tool, the player may use the tennis serve toss aid to simply toss and catch the tennis ball repeatedly in the same hand, thereby developing muscle memory about the correct positioning of the palm and the feel and motion of the lever or arm.

Second Embodiment

This second embodiment 20 provides a ring member 10 that is integrally connected to the bowl member 15 as shown in FIG. 4. This allows for the ring member 10 and bowl member 15 to be utilized as a single unit.

Third Embodiment

This third embodiment 30 provides a wire 35 and mesh 32 bowl member 15. The wire 35 is provided along the rim of the bowl member 15 as shown in FIG. 5. The wire 35 provides a structural rigidity to maintain the position of the plurality of cutouts 17 and thereby provide the optimum directional control such that the bowl member 15 emulates the cradled palm of a hand. The bottom side of the bowl member is to be attached to a ring member 10.

Fourth Embodiment

This fourth embodiment 40 provides an alternative bowl member 15 that provides a plurality of prongs 45. The plurality of prongs extend upward from the bottom of the bowl member 15, thereby allowing for a tennis ball 1 to be held within the bowl member 15 and between each of the plurality of prongs 45. The bowl member 15 of this fourth embodiment 40 provides a top side and a bottom side. The top side, shown in FIG. 6, is to make contact with the tennis ball 1 and the bottom side is to be attached to a ring member 10.

The plurality of prongs 45 allow for holding the tennis ball 1 while also allowing inertia, created by raising the palm holding the bowl member 15 during a tennis serve toss, to carry the ball out from between the plurality of prongs 45.

Fifth Embodiment

This fifth embodiment 50 provides a disk 55, which has a top side and a bottom side. The top side, shown in FIG. 7, is to make contact and hold a tennis ball 1 and the bottom side is to be attached to a ring member 10.

Sixth Embodiment

This sixth embodiment 60 is a glove 62, which fits over a player's hand, including the fingers and thumb. The glove 62 provides a plurality of loops 64 which are attached to the index finger of the glove 62 as shown in FIG. 8. The glove 62 also provides a hook 66 on the thumb of the glove 62. In addition, the glove provides an adhesive connector 68 between each of the fingers of the glove 62.

Consequently, when the hook 66 is placed into one of the plurality of loops 64, the glove 62 forces the hand within it to form a cradled position. Thus, the player is prevented from utilizing his or her fingers to release the tennis ball 1 while making a tennis serve toss.

This sixth embodiment 60 is additionally beneficial because it can still be worn after the serve is made for players that use a double-handed backhand during play. For players that use a double-handed backhand, the player needs to only release the hook 66 from the one of the plurality of loops 64.

Seventh Embodiment

This seventh embodiment 70 is a plurality of thimbles 75 that are adhered together such that the tips of a player's fingers and thumb of one hand will fit into each thimble. When the player has placed the tips of their fingers and thumb of a hand into the plurality of thimbles, the hand is then locked into a cradled position as shown in FIG. 9. Consequently, the player's hand is incapable of using the fingers to release the tennis ball 1 during a tennis serve toss.

In addition to assisting with developing a consistent serve toss, this seventh embodiment 70 allows for the user to play with a double-handed backhand without needing to remove the plurality of thimbles 75 from the hand by simply releasing the thumb from its thimble.

As the tennis serve toss aid can quickly train the player to achieve their best toss, and can then be used to retrain them as and when needed, the tennis serve toss aid provides an important yet low-cost solution to arguably the most difficult yet most important aspect of the entire game of tennis—the tennis serve. Players young and old can benefit from learning a simple but easily repeatable tennis serve toss.

While the embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, certain modifications may be made by those skilled in the art to modify the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention. 

The inventor claims:
 1. A tennis serve toss aid, which is comprised of: a. a ring member; wherein the ring member is adjustable; b. a bowl member; wherein the bowl member provides an opening and an arcuate bottom surface; wherein the bowl member provides an interior surface and an exterior surface; wherein the bowl member provides a plurality of cutouts; wherein the bowl member can connect to the ring member;
 2. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 1 wherein a connector member is provided, which is further comprised of: a. a first side and a second side; wherein the first side of the connector member attaches to the ring member; wherein the second side of the connector member attaches to the bowl member.
 3. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 2 in which the bowl member, ring member, and connector member use a combination of hook-and-loop materials to connect the ring member to the connector member to the bowl member.
 4. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 3 wherein the ring member provides a first attachment material and the bowl member provides a second attachment material on the exterior of the spherical bottom surface.
 5. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 1 in which the bowl member and ring member are integrally connected to one another.
 6. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 2 in which the ring member and connector member are integrally connected.
 7. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 2 in which the bowl member and connector member are integrally connected.
 8. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 1 in which the bowl member is a made of a mesh with a wire frame.
 9. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 1 in which the bowl member is further comprised of a plurality of prongs.
 10. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 1 in which the bowl member is substantially a disc.
 11. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 1 in which the bowl member is made of an elastic material.
 12. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 1 in which the bowl member has an external surface substantially similar to a conventional tennis ball.
 13. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 1 in which the ring member is placed onto a combination of multiple fingers and thumb.
 14. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 1 in which the ring member is made of an elastic material.
 15. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 1 in which the ring member is made of a semi-rigid material.
 16. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 2 in which the connector member provides an adhesive material and the bowl member and ring member are adapted accordingly.
 17. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 2 in which the connector member is made of a snap connector and the bowl member and ring member are adapted accordingly.
 18. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 2 in which the ring member and connector member can attach to the nap or fuzz on a tennis ball.
 19. The tennis serve toss aid of claim 1 in which the ring member can attach to the nap or fuzz on a tennis ball.
 20. A tennis serve toss aid, which is comprised of: a. a glove; wherein the glove provides a plurality of finger inserts; wherein the glove provides a thumb insert; wherein the glove provides an interior surface and an exterior surface; b. adhesive; wherein the adhesive is provided on the exterior surface of the glove between each of the finger inserts; c. a plurality of loops; wherein the plurality of loops is provided on the index finger insert; d. a hook; wherein the hook is provided on the thumb insert; wherein the hook attaches to one of the plurality of loops.
 21. A tennis serve toss aid, which is comprised of a plurality of thimbles adhered together, wherein each thimble of the plurality of thimbles attach to the tip of each finger and thumb such that the placement of the fingers and thumb cause the hand to form a cradle.
 22. A method of using a tennis serve toss aid comprising: a. sliding a ring member onto a finger of a non-dominant hand; b. placing a bowl member into the palm of the non-dominant hand; c. attaching the bowl member to the ring member; d. placing the palm of the non-dominant hand into a supinated position; e. placing a tennis ball into the bowl member; f. extending the tennis ball out to create a straight non-dominant arm; g. locking the non-dominant arm in a straight position; h. raising the straight non-dominant arm from a down position to an up position; i. tossing the tennis ball out of the bowl member due to inertia from raising the straight non-dominant arm.
 23. The method of claim 21 wherein the method is further comprised of adjusting the angle of the wrist of the non-dominant hand.
 24. The method of claim 21 wherein the method is further comprised of repeatedly tossing the tennis ball from the bowl member and catching the tennis ball with the bowl member.
 25. The method of claim 21 wherein the method is further comprised of tossing the ball from the bowl member and striking the ball with a tennis racket held in the dominant hand to deliver a tennis serve. 